


True as it can be

by xCloudy_1412



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe — AU, Angst, Beast!Shinichi, Beauty & the Beast AU, Beauty!Kaito, Blood and Gore, Half of this is a musical I swear, Hurt and comfort, Kaito is the Worst Belle ever, M/M, Shinichi just wants his Happily Ever After, True Love's Kiss, Witch Hunt, mild violence, set in France
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 14:52:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15951605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xCloudy_1412/pseuds/xCloudy_1412
Summary: Kaito was one magic trick away from being burned on a stake and Shinichi was a few petals away from an eternity as a monster and everything is just peachy.





	True as it can be

**Author's Note:**

> So, you guys might have noticed how in 'flower in the mirror' Kaito said "Be my guest and enjoy the show!" And that was the hint for this fic (be our guest reference, yeah? No? XD)
> 
> Usual warnings include violence, blood, gore, angst and the general grammatical errors and misspellings but other than that, you're good to go! 
> 
> The title of this fic was taken from the titular song, 'Beauty and the Beast' and without further ado, I present to thee the Beauty and the Beast AU no one asked for.

Little town, flimsy homes, small minded people. 

One Kaito Kuroba.

"There he goes, strange like always!" The baker stated out with his tray of fresh bread as a messy brown haired male passed by with a book in hand, "Dabbling in magic and conjuring roses from miasma," Followed the teacher by his tiny school. 

"Bonjour, Monsieur. May I please buy a pack of rose seeds?" The person of interest chirped out, indigo eyes pinned onto a book entitled 'Sleight of Hand', as if anyone could read the title. "Readin' that silly ol' waste of wood?" The seller called out with a frown of contempt, gaze burning holes through the thick book in the male's hands while he fetched a pouch of rose seeds. "Thank you, good day!" The male exclaimed as he thrusted the pouch into his satchel and went on his merry way. 

"Look there," A prostitute started with a soft swoon as the man passed by, "No wonder his last name is like a Four-Leaf Clover," She squealed out with a heavy blush barely seen underneath layers of make up, "You can't find a man with looks like his!" She finished while fanning herself, "Such a shame he's got a screw loose because he's Kaito Kuroba!" The other two chorused with a sigh.

Kaito rolled his eyes and hopped on a puddle of dirt and water, sending mud splattering on their stuffy dresses. Gasps of horror sounding very satisfying to the crazed— ahem, to the _magician's_ ears. 

"Look there he goes, peculiar like always!" The soft shrill cries of vendors echoed with a frown, watching Kaito snatch an apple and swiftly placing a few coins in a small basket as payment along with a freshly trimmed rose, "Mastering spells and enchantments alike!" The fish vender said with a scrunch of her nose, as Kaito passed the street with a hop and a skip, "With his nose stuck to a book and hands that perform dark arts. He really is a crazy man, that Kaito." The townsfolk said with finality as Kaito nonchalantly flipped to the next page of his 350-paged book that he's practically memorized by now. 

"Please, there's more to this provincial life than what you do," Kaito snickered out to the gossiping folks, flicking some mud at their feet. Loving the scandalized look that they gave him the magician continued his merry way and came to a halt in front of an old, crumbling manor. 

"Mademoiselle Akako, I came to raid your library again~!" He exclaimed loudly, opening the French double doors with much fanfare. 

"Again, Monsieur Kuroba? Haven't you read all of them already?" Came a smooth silky voice as a beautiful lady with red eyes came down the ebony stair way, wearing a long gown with a slit that went higher than what was socially acceptable. "Let me reread some then~." Kaito chirped out, casually padding over to a room which held a small collection of books. "What grimoire will you take this time?" Akako inquired, perching on a soft plush armchair by the handful of books. 

"I think I'll take a trip down the memory lane of magic once again, Mademoiselle." Kaito replied, returning his book and exchanging it for a book named 'History of Magicians'. "If you like it that much then I'll give it to you," Akako snorted out, waving her hand at Kaito's overly happy expression. "You are the kindest witch I have ever met, Akako!" He called out, happily skipping out of the manor and back into town. 

"Isn't this fantastic?" Kaito asked out to a few doves that perched by the well, "My father's featured in this book and labeled the 'Wizard of this Century'," He sighed dreamily as he flipped to the certain chapter with a portrait of his father on it, "He's the best magician out there!" He called out to a dove, holding his hand out to poof up some bird feed. "This tells his story about how he met mum but he doesn't know it's her till chapter 3." The messy haired man chuckled out, reminiscing how his mother was an undercover reporter who was gauging out Kuroba Touichi. 

"Monsieur Kuroba, why waste your time on worthless garbage?" A little kid asked, coming to collect water from the well. "Because books make this tiny town feel so much bigger," He answered with a lopsided grin, brandishing a rose out for the little girl to take. "Madeline! Don't touch it, you don't if it's enchanted! You could lose your sanity or maybe turn into a hideous beast!" The little girl's mother warned out with a glare, coming to collect her (now terrified) child, "Stay away from us, you witch!" 

"Warlock, actually. But if you prefer then maybe wizard," Kaito joked with a raise of an eyebrow, not minding the tensing men in the background, ready to grab their pitchforks and start a witch hunt. 

"Very well then, good day! A book won't read itself." Kaito left with a bow and a small grin directed at the raging town folks.

"Well, well. We leave for Paris for a few weeks and look who's causing trouble again," An annoyingly British accent spoke out as Kaito returned to his old shack of a home, "Saguru," The magician sullenly greeted the guest, who sported a deer stalker and a god awful brown poncho. "I thought you guys wouldn't be back till next week." Kaito asked, not bothering to pour Saguru a cup of tea.

"We thought that if we left you alone for more than another day, we'd come home to your burnt corpse. Aoko was really worried, knowing you and your antics, you probably have the entire town ready to roast you over a fire." Saguru stated with a shake of his head, peering outside the dusty window at the glaring passersby. 

"I told her I won't make a fuss about things and I've just been reading books here at home," Kaito argued with a pout, settling down on a wooden chair and resuming his reading. "You know, even Monsieur Namamori suspects you of being a warlock. He's holding Aoko up in Paris because he doesn't want her to spend time with you," Kaito frowned at the implications, "I'm just a magician, I'm good with my hands but it isn't magic! That's the Red Witch's division." The magician argued with a sigh.

"Either ways, I suggest stopping your little tricks before it gets you killed," Saguru warned with a pointed gaze, layered with a challenge and worry. "Of course!" Kaito nodded noncommittally, sporting a grin that spelt trouble.  
  


——— _"There he goes, strange as always."_ ———

  
When Aoko and Nakamori Ginzo returned from Paris, Kaito greeted them with flourish.

He outdid himself on this one, he deserved a pat on the back really.

The moment their carriage came rolling pass the town's entrance, Kaito had fired many different colored flares in all directions, simultaneously letting a gramophone play some fanfare music while he appeared with a puff of confetti and smoke, in mid air. 

He could literally hear Saguru tearing his blonde locks off his pretty little head out of frustration at the stubborn magician. "Lady Aoko!" Kaito greeted, ignoring the gasps and shrieks of the townspeople. "I have awaited your return~." He purred out and one look at his childhood friend's joyous expression was enough to erase all the angry shouts and screeches. That was, until Nakamori Ginzo clambered out of the carriage and went to grab the nearest pitchfork to stab him with. 

"Come down here, you wretched witch!" Ginzo yelled out, thrusting his pitchfork in the air. "Calm down, Monsieur Nakamori." Kaito said with a laugh, unclasping himself from the wires that held him up, dropping down gracefully he bowed in front of the angry man.

"You have 5 seconds to run before I burn you on a stake," Ginzo gritted out, knuckles turning white as his grip tightened around his pitchfork. "It was just a harmless trick!" Kaito gasped out offended, placing a hand over his heart dramatically but Ginzo didn't look like he was joking so the magician broke out into a sprint just as the father counted '5'.

Now here he was, running down a grassy meadow and entering a rather thick forest. Perfect, he could lose Ginzo and his men in it and he could just camp out at Akako's place. 

Entering the dark forest, Kaito mentally mapped out his course as he passed by a few dead bushes, then a clump of trees, took a left then a right and Oh! A road, maybe this was the road that the carriages took on their way to Paris. Maybe he could actually run all the way there and hide in his mum's villa or something. 

The shouts of angry folks and Ginzo soon faded behind him as Kaito ran deeper into the forest, taking note as the sun disappeared down the horizon and the forest was plunged into a mellow darkness. The night grew increasingly colder as Kaito ran onwards until he couldn't hear even a phantom of the townspeople's angry cries. He only stopped when he face planted against rusted iron gates, covered with vines and overgrown shrubs. 

"Uck," Kaito remarked unintelligently, wiping off the slight dirt and vine that stuck to his face. "What's a gate doing all the way out here?" He mumbled out, stepping back to look at the tall imposing gates. Beyond it was a silhouette that stood proud and tall, almost as if it was a—

"A castle?" He breathed out with disbelief, looking through the gaps of the gates and at the dark and tall castle. "What's a castle doing all the way out here? Heck, do the townspeople even know about this?" Kaito mused out, nimbly climbing up the gate and landing on his feet with a muted thud. He observed as he passed by, the well-kept garden (blanketed by snow) but he could still see the roses that peeked through, the scary gargoyle statues that sat by the tip top of the tower, the dark crumbling walls. The magician stopped in front of the double doors, and knocking a few times before discovering that the door was unlocked and slightly unhinged due to poor maintenance.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Kaito questioned, hearing his voice echoing through the halls of the castle, 

_"Oh goodness, a guest!"_ A hauntingly quiet voice exclaimed, Kaito had to whip his head around to try and find out where the voice was coming from but he found no one so he trudged on towards the fireplace and shamelessly warmed himself up before continuing his slow trek. "Uhm, I hope you don't mind me taking shelter here. I have traveled far and have gone tired and the dark makes it hard to navigate through the forest..." Kaito trailed off knowing fully well that he memorized his path and he just didn't want to return to the town so soon. 

He came across a dimly lit banquet table, long and dusty. Save for one area that was filled with different types of food, obviously it was for the master of the castle but Kaito unapologetically took a chocolate truffle and wolfed it down in a few seconds flat. 

_"A guest! A guest! Oh dear, oh god I'm not at my best!"_ Another voice exclaimed with a shriek that had Kaito wincing, where the voices coming from? He hasn't seen a single human in his short trip around the very dim castle, it seemed devoid of any signs of life and yet the fireplace was lit, there was food prepared and Kaito was hearing voices. Maybe he just went insane, that would explain the suddenly appearing castle, maybe he was already on a stake and he was just dreaming things up.

"Time to shut up, Kaito." He mumbled to himself, exiting the banquet room and exploring deeper into the castle. He came across grand stairs, marble and smooth. Climbing up the impressive height, he stood at a crossroad between left and right and decided to go left because it seemed like it was beckoning him.

_"Oh god, he's going to the West Wing! We got to stop him dear!"_

_"I'd love to dear, but what can a blackened kettle do?"_

Yeah, Kaito was definitely insane. 

Climbing up the last flight of stairs, he entered the west wing and delved further finding the hallways gradually getting more and more thrashed and destroyed, as if some feral beast ravaged the place. "Weird," He commented, passing by what seemed like claw marks dug deep into the wall. At the very end of the hallway was a large wooden door, unhinged and slightly swaying with a draft that most probably came from the balcony of the room. 

Standing in front of the doorway, Kaito took a tentative peek inside only to see an even darker room, save from the moonlight seeping through the viney balcony. He entered with light steps, passing by a torn portrait and a few hung canvases that were covered with a ripped Crimson cloth. "Again, weird..." Kaito mumbled, approaching the balcony that seemed to shine under the moonlight and found himself face to face with a single wilting rose, encased in some glass cover. "How beautiful!" He exclaimed, slinking closer to the rose with his hand slightly outstretched, a little bit more and he could reach the casing—

A loud snarl snapped Kaito out of his trance, whipping around and catching a sight of a moving shadow in the room, moving faster than Kaito could keep track of. 

Before Kaito could speak, he felt an icy clawed hand wrap itself around his neck and his eyes met azure ones with slitted pupils. The moonlight gave enough light for the magician to see his opponent and he suddenly wished that he hadn't climbed the gates. 

The man— _monster_ — possessed dark ebony hair, on top of the tousled hair were two long black horns that could rival a bull's, the hand that were choking Kaito had the longest, blackest nails he's ever seen, scratching and drawing blood as the monster's grip tightened around his neck, "Thief," The monster growled out in a low rumble, dangerous and deadly as Kaito struggled to breathe. 

"Magician, actually." He must have no self preservation skills as Kaito had the nerve to smirk and look the monster directly in the eyes, he must have caught the monster off guard as his grip loosened with surprise before tightening once more, azure eyes hardening with anger. 

"Doesn't matter, you are leaving." The monster lifted him by his neck (further aggravating the cuts that his long nails did) and literally, tossing Kaito out of balcony. From the _second floor_ , if he didn't know how to land safely he might have broken a bone. 

"Rude much!" Kaito shouted out, earning a loud roar from the room above. Thankfully, the male's fall was cushioned by snow but unfortunately he was cold again. "What," He started, pressing a part of his cape against his bleeding neck, "Was that," He mumbled out, bewildered. Surely, he was no stranger to magic or magic beasts (he was friends with the Red Witch, hello) and the one he encountered was most definitely a monster but Kaito did see a face, one that looked eerily like his own but had the slightest differences. 

"Fine, I'll leave!" He shouted back, hopping to his feet and dusting the snow off before it seeped into his cape. He was greeted with silence but he swore he saw a shadow watching him expectantly by the balcony, the magician picked up his pace and walked down the snowy path, climbing up the gates and dropping onto the ground opposite the castle. "Okay Kaito, your choice. Deadly monster or Monsieur Nakamori with a pitchfork and a witch hunt?" He asked himself as he walked down the path, mentally reciting the path he took earlier. Weird, he swore he passed by that shrub already........ 

Wait, wasn't that the same shrub again?

......Holy shit was he _lost_?

After passing by the same shrub for the fifteenth time, Kaito decided to take a break by some dead trees. "I'm gonna die," He said with finality as the cold started to seep into his cape and in turn, his body. Kaito could feel the warmth slowly leaving his body as his systems were starting to shut down. The last thing he heard was the crunch of bare feet.  
  


——— _"He wants adventure in the great wide somewhere."_ ———

  
He woke up to dust and soft sheets smelling like roses and dust mites.

"Oh goodie! You're awake!" A voice sounding very much like the shrill voice he heard last night exclaimed from Kaito's side, his gaze was dotted with black splotches and his body still felt rather rigid from the cold. He turned to look at his side and found a beautiful woman, in her twenties at least with luscious curls framing her face and warm eyes sparkling with happiness. "Who—" The magician halted his words as he sudden triggered a fit of sneezes, damn it was really dusty.

"We're very sorry for the dust, we weren't expecting a guest! Shin surprised us all when he came storming through the front doors holding you in his arms and oh how romantic!" A shrill squeal followed her words as she swooned from left to right, leaving no room for the magician to ask whoever this 'Shin' was, he was in debt to someone he didn't know. Great.

"I don't mind," Kaito answered after sneezing his lungs out, his voice came out scratchy and shaky due to the dryness, "Drink some tea, dear." The lady offered a cup of steaming Darjeeling tea and Kaito drank it without hesitation, ignoring the scalding feeling on his tongue as the warmth of the tea enveloped his stomach. "Thank you," Kaito stated, feeling better already.

"Oh, I'm Yukiko by the way!" The lady, Yukiko chirped out, taking the tea cup from him as Kaito wobbly stood up, stretching his aching muscles. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kaito Kuroba." He answered with a charming smile, offering her a rose that he kept underneath his white sleeve. "Oh you," Yukiko giggled out, accepting the rose and pinning it behind her ear. "Come with me, dear. I'll take you to the fire place," She cooed out, gracefully exiting the room and Kaito followed in suit. 

Something about the place was eerily familiar, too familiar. He swore he's gone down those marble stairways recently, then it hit him just as he reached the fire place. He was back in the castle, the same castle that housed the monster that threw him off the balcony two floors up.

"May I ask you," Kaito started with a small fidget, inching closer to the fire as the warmth spread across him. "Do you happen to have a monster living in your west wing?" He watched as Yukiko's gaze sharpened at the word 'monster', "First of all, is that what you should be calling your savior?" She asked with a huff, sitting down on an armchair with a sharp glare. And oh shit, he was in debt to a monster— to this Shin that Yukiko talked about. 

Kaito was about to apologize, like the gentleman he was but was cut off by a slam of the door and thunderous footsteps and found himself looking at Shin, who looked even worse under proper daylight. 

The man wore an all black attire, with a torn cape covering his scaly arms, his claws looked even sharper underneath the sunlight (Kaito unconsciously clasped his injured neck from the memories of last night), the sides of his cheeks were covered with ebony scales, framing the bottom of his eyes like some twisted eyeliner. His hair was weird, for most of the part it was clean, as if gelled save for the few rebellious spots that stood aloft as well as two sharp horns standing proud and pointy on top of his head. His eyes were luminous azure with slitted pupils and Kaito inwardly shuddered from the memories of last night. Overall, he looked like a reptile turned human and Kaito found it morbidly fascinating. 

"I told you to make him leave before sunrise," 'Shin' snarled out, showing two pointy fangs as he strode forward, Kaito quietly noted the pointy tail that swayed behind him. "But Shin, he can't leave on an empty stomach!" Yukiko exclaimed, offendedly as Shin came to a halt in front of her and Kaito. Even though Kaito was practically the same height, the man in front of him looked much more imposing and Kaito found himself shrinking back the slightest bit before squaring his shoulders and holding his hand out.

"Thank you for saving me," He said flatly, "Even though you did throw me out the balcony from the second floor and you are the reason why I almost died from hypothermia but thanks anyways." He added with a snicker, taking delight in the very light blush that appeared on Shin's pale face. "Do you have a death wish?" Shin started slowly, dangerously baring his fangs. "I almost died twice last night, I don't think a third would change anything much," Kaito fired back as Shin bristled and brushed past him. "No breakfast for him, starve him till he leaves." Shin exclaimed, storming to the banquet hall leaving Kaito feeling rather victorious. 

"Don't pay attention to him," Yukiko said with a sigh, shaking her head as she watched Shin stomp away, "Ever since he turned like that, his emotions are rather erratic since they aren't technically a human's." Yukiko added with a soft dip to her smile. "Turned?" Kaito asked with morbid curiosity.

"Sit down child," Yukiko commanded, leading him to the couch and seating him.

"Long ago, this castle was the heart of this land," She started with a wistful tone, gaze turning far away as if remembering a distant past, "This place was lively and there was always a party, I was the queen and my husband, Yuusaku was the king. Shin is our only son, the prince and he was such a lovely child. He excelled in academics, he was advanced for his age and enjoyed solving mysteries. He enjoyed solving murder cases and more murders and basically he was what people would call, a detective." Kaito couldn't imagine the reptile-like man as anything other than a monster but as Yukiko continued to describe 'Shin', his mind painted an involuntary image of what he would look like without the monstrous features. 

"Wherever Shin went, death always followed. Murders happened wherever he went, he didn't mind it much as he loved solving a mystery and putting murderers behind bars," Yukiko's eyes darkened ever so slightly, "Until one day, it was a usual party. We were going to pick out a rightful bride for Shin until a murder happened, Shin wanted to solve it but another guest had intercepted and deemed that Shin wouldn't be able to solve it. And so started an impromptu competition that Shin won in the end," Yukiko let out a soft sigh as she laced her hands together, "Around that time, Shin was on a roll, solving cases, being praised for excelling in so many things and it may be that we neglected to discipline him as his ego grew and he became very prideful. He declared to the entire castle of his victory and reveled in another win. He was too prideful, he belittled the poor man and maybe, just maybe he deserved what came next," Yukiko looked guilty at her words whilst Kaito looked like he was hungrily drinking each and every one of her words.

"The defeated man was ridiculed, questioned of his intellect and he asked Shin to redeem him. To say that he wasn't a crazy man who didn't know left from right but Shin refused, he said that A match was a match, he lost fair and square and Shin won because he had superior intelligence and the man had warned him not to let pride take him over but Shin didn't listen, so as a last attempt the defeated man offered a single rose as a payment, begging Shin to help him but Shin refused and made fun of the rose. Enraged, the man stood to his full height and proclaimed that pride would lead Shin to ruins, he revealed himself as a sorcerer who worshipped some Greek Goddess named 'Athena' and cursed Shin, turning him into a hideous monster and placed a curse on the castle. I still remember the last words he said," 

_"Pride will lead you to ruin, just as I curse you. I curse you to stay as a beast until you let true love into your heart, but if you fail as the last petal of this rose falls, you and everyone in this castle will crumble."_

Kaito shuddered as he almost heard the Sorcerer's voice thundering beside his ear drums, "He tried, you know." Yukiko started once again after a pregnant pause, "He felt guilty from plunging everyone in this castle into darkness and tried to fix things with his childhood friend," Yukiko's expression was grim, "Let me guess, it didn't work out?" Kaito replied with a sigh, watching as Yukiko nodded. 

"There's more to it, if Shin attempts to kiss or romance someone insincerely or if they aren't his true love. They end up......" Yukiko trailed off, taking him to the west wing (Kaito tried to stop her because he did _**not**_ want a repeat of last night), they stopped in front of the ripped curtains and Yukiko pulled it off, revealing two breathtaking paintings.

The first one was a beautifully vibrant painting of a gorgeous woman with long brown hair, cascading down her back, some locks spilling forward. The lady was in a kneeling position, her hands clasped together like she was in the middle of a prayer, her eyes were shut tight hiding what Kaito imagined to be vibrant eyes. Surrounding her were orange and red flames, licking at her burning red one piece dress. Behind her was a burning version of the room Kaito and Yukiko stood in, Kaito found himself gulping as the painting looked far too realistic, almost painfully realistic. 

The second one was the complete opposite, it showed a strawberry blonde woman, sitting on a pure white throne, wearing a simple white sundress. Her eyes were open, dull and disbelieving. Her lips were parted slightly as if to say _'Why'_ , escaping her darkened eye was one tear, frozen on her cheek leading Kaito to observe her surroundings. The entire portrait was white and blue framed, Ivy vines framed the sides and the bare legs of the lady, frozen and frost bitten. She was situated near the balcony, on a throne of frozen ice and on her head was a crown of ice. The entire picture screamed 'Hypothermia' and Kaito could feel the frost biting his fingertips as he looked at the painting. 

"These are Ran and Shiho," Yukiko started, 

"Ran is Shin's childhood friend and the person who we thought was his true love." She informed with a soft sigh, slender fingers running through the golden frame of Ran's painting. "And Shiho, she's very much like you. She stumbled upon this castle, had nowhere else to go so she stayed and fell in love with Shin, he had promised that they were in love and that they could break the curse but when they kissed. She disappeared into icicles and mist and this painting showed up." Yukiko explained and Kaito felt bad for the girls, even more for Shin.

"Shin was quite heartbroken about the two, he already felt guilty about us and now he's got two more innocent girls under his belt of mistakes." Yukiko stated with a frown, covering up the polar opposite portraits with the cloth once again. "I know that deep in his heart, he wishes for everything to be alright and he's trying hard to find a solution but it's getting hopeless, the rose only has a few petals left on it and he knows that everyday the people of the castle are slowly turning inanimate and he's slowly turning into something more akin to a monster than human, he's given up...." The lady trailed off, lips pressed into a thin line and Kaito felt a twinge in his heart. 

"You know what," Kaito started with a small smile, "I'm feeling rather hungry and I can smell something cooking in the banquet hall," He stated, watching as Yukiko's gaze rose up to meet his, 

"I don't think true love exists either but there's no use moping about it! The least I can do to repay the man who saved my life is to make his home a little bit more livable and a little happier." He chattered out, walking down the stairs and entering the banquet hall where a troubled Shin was trying to pick up a spoon with his long claws, getting frustrated and huffy. The magician marched up to the man and held out his hand, "I'm Kaito Kuroba and I'm here to cheer up your sorry ass!" He greeted, watching as the man's face morphed into one of confusion. "Shinichi," He answered after what seemed like 30 minutes, "Shinichi Kudo." The man shyly introduced himself as he attempted to eat his soup with a spoon. 

Kaito gingerly picked up the soup dish and held it to his lips, letting the fluid cascade and tumble down his throat. "No need to feel awkward," Kaito informed after he finished drinking his soup, flashing the monster a grin. 

"What ever could you mean?" Shinichi grumbled sullenly, pushing his soup away and opted to stab a scallop with his long nail and popping it into his mouth. "I'm here to brighten up your day mister!" Kaito reiterated, "I don't need your pity." Shinichi mumbled icily, standing and exiting the room with muted footsteps. 

Something tells Kaito that he would be staying for a long time.  
  


——— _"He's mean and coarse and unrefined."_ ———

  
True to his gut feeling, Kaito spent the next day's tidying up the guest room and basically just running around, conversing with the magical people (yeah, he saw how Yukiko changed from a lady into a fine china pot like the freaking Swan Lake) and trying to get Shinichi to warm up to him.

Shinichi, was in the simplest terms; stubborn. He refused to eat with Kaito and refused to converse with the magician and Kaito took it as a challenge. 

"Oh Shinichi~!!" Kaito exclaimed, swinging the doors to the man's room open, carrying a tray of biscuits and tea. "I brought breakfast, let's eat together!" He chirped out, setting the tray down by Shinichi's nightstand and hopping onto the bed and shaking the reptilian awake, causing the sleeping man to snap forward and lashed a clawed at Kaito, who was smart enough to dodge. 

"Who gave you permission to enter my room?" Shinichi weakly growled out, mind clouded with sleep. "I gave myself permission," Kaito answered with a shit-eating grin, "Get out!" Shinichi groaned out, burrowing under the blankets like a kid and Kaito found himself chuckling. "Okay then, breakfast is at your bedside, Mr. Grumpy." The magician complied, leaving the room with soft echoing chuckles. 

"Breakfast is served, dear." Yukiko informed, leading Kaito to the banquet table where an array of breakfast items littered the table. "I was planning on cleaning Shinichi's room today," Kaito stated out nonchalantly and watched as Yukiko almost dropped the fine china teacup in her (rather pale, rather _glassy_ ) hands. "I highly suggest you digress," She squeaked out, taking a seat beside him with a look that screamed horror or at least that was what Kaito thought it was since her expressions were getting rather rigid. "I've cleaned some of the guest room, tended to the garden, swabbed the bathrooms clean and wiped the kitchen spotless." Kaito informed, flicking a speck of chocolate towards the lady playfully.

"Anywhere else? Maybe the storage shed?" 

"Cleaned." 

"The patio?"

"To an extent, yes. The snow prevents me from cleaning it extensively," Kaito shrugged.

"I can't stop you, can I?" Yukiko sullenly spoke, and Kaito nodded victoriously. "I don't want to clean up your corpse, Kaito," Yukiko finalized before leaving to go whine to Yuusaku and Kaito finished his breakfast quickly and headed for Shinichi's room with a duster and a broom, a kerchief tied around his head. "Hey there, Mr. Grumpy!" Kaito chirped out, barging in without so much of a knock. 

"You—" Shinichi growled out, wrapping his blanket protectively around his form, as if he was afraid that Kaito would see his scales. "I'm here to clean your filthy room, don't pretend that I can't see the shedding you hid underneath the bed," He watched as Shinichi bristled at the mention of the shedding that was admittedly peeking from underneath the bed.

For the next few hours, Kaito cleaned the big room, carefully avoiding the portraits and cleaning the vines, dirt and torn pieces of whatever cloth Shinichi destroyed in one of his petty rages. Said man posed an obstacle to the cleaning magician as he was very picky of where some stuff should be placed at and before he knew it, it was nighttime and Yukiko-pot came rolling in a push cart announcing that dinner was prepared, as usual Shinichi didn't join him and later that evening Kaito found himself curled up on the armchair by the fireplace, drinking a cup of hot tea. 

Pot-Yukiko had retired with Kettle-Yuusaku to the kitchen and the entire castle was silent, glancing at the grandfather clock by the corner of the room and deciding that it was pretty late already, Kaito padded up the stairway and was about to enter the right wing where his room was at when he heard soft groaning coming from the west wing and morbid curiosity took hold of him once again and he made his way over to Shinichi's room. 

Taking a tentative peek inside, the magician found the reptilian thrashing on his bed, tossing and turning as if he was having a nightmare. Kaito hesitated for a moment, remembering his first night in the castle but then remembered the multiple times he annoyed Shinichi and he would most probably dead by now but he was still alive and still lacked a sense of self-preservation so he approached the male and gently shook the man awake, dodging the long claws that whipped up at him,

"Shinichi," Kaito whispered out, shaking the man awake. Watching as azure eyes snapped open, filled with fear and regret. "I'm sorry," Shinichi gasped out, claws reaching out to grip onto Kaito's shoulders, the magician winced as the claws dug into his skin, no doubt drawing blood. 

"Shinichi, dear, it's alright. I'm here." Kaito whispered out, drawing the man close into a warm hug. Shinichi stiffened underneath his touch, claws tightening even more before realizing what he was doing and let go. 

Kaito remained still, even when Shinichi made moves of pulling away, he didn't let go until Shinichi's breathing calmed down. "I'm sorry," The prince mumbled out again, noticing the damage he's done to Kaito's sleeves and arms. "Don't sweat it," Kaito replied with a soft smile, patting Shinichi's head, mindful of his horns. They fell into silence once again, until Kaito spoke up.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" He asked tentatively, watching as Shinichi shook his head, "Okay then," Kaito mumbled with a nod. 

"They haunt me every time I sleep." Shinichi spoke up hesitantly, clawed hands tightening around the sheets, ripping them in the process. Kaito listened attentively letting out a soft hum, "Then how about I steal them away?" Kaito asked with a cheeky smile, watching as the man's expression changed into surprise for the umpteenth time since he arrived. 

"Lie back down, Shinichi." Kaito ordered softly, guiding the man to lie down as he took a seat by the side of his bed, Shinichi watched him with slight curiosity, "Close your eyes and relax," The magician followed up and Shinichi silently followed. Then there was silence until a soft voice cut through the darkness. 

_"How does a moment last forever?"_ His voice was soft, like a lullaby, his slender hand reaching out to entwine itself with Shinichi's hand, feeling the limb stiffen as if afraid of hurting him again. 

_"How can a story never die? It is love we must hold onto. Never easy, but we try."_ Kaito continued, coaxing the man into sleep and Shinichi found himself relaxing faster than he's ever had in years. Kaito's grip on Shinichi's hand remained constant throughout the entire song, never loosening or tightening, it was just there. Like an anchor for Shinichi, holding onto him and grounding him.

 _"Sometimes our happiness is captured. Somehow, our time and place stand still, love lives on inside our hearts and always will."_

Shinichi found himself gradually getting closer to the edge of sleep but found himself chasing after Kaito's voice, hand itching to enclose itself on Kaito's hand but the scrape of his long claws prevented him from doing so and Shinichi felt a small twinge of pain bloom on his chest. 

_"Minutes turn to hours, days to years and gone. Thus, when all else has been forgotten.  
Still our song lives on."_

Kaito's voice grew gradually softer as he lulled himself to sleep, grip slackening as sleep overtook the magician's controls and Shinichi found himself grinning ever so slightly as he heard soft snores coming from his bedside. 

Rising up, Shinichi opted to let go of Kaito's hand but his grip only tightened, as if to unconsciously say that he wasn't leaving and Shinichi could only maneuver the magician to his side, laying Kaito beside him and listening to the magician's soft snores and steady heartbeat before drifting off into dreamless sleep for the first time in years.

The next morning, Shinichi found the magician pressed against his back arms wrapped around his form, the prince held his breath as he found himself leaning against the warmth on his back. 

Gingerly turning to face the magician, Shinichi marveled in the peaceful expression on Kaito's face. Long lashes nearly brushing against his rosy cheeks, his mouth was slightly agape and a bit of drool was dripping down his pink lips and Shinichi felt fondness hit him like a carriage. 

For the first time in years, Shinichi woke up peacefully and he couldn't ask for more. Until, he remembered the two girls that haunted him and he found himself standing and backing away from the bed, rousing the magician awake. Kaito sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. The movement showing the bloodstained sleeves of the magician, rather deep claw marks were bleeding ever so slightly and Shinichi felt a pang of guilt and pain in his chest. 

"Good morning, Shinichi. I sincerely hope you fell asleep before I did but seeing that I'm on your bed means that I fell asleep first," Kaito greeted with a soft smile that almost made the reptile/human melt if it weren't from the bloodstains that were painstakingly obvious. "Go to Heiji and get some bandages, my claws cut you pretty deep." Shinichi mumbled out, averting his eyes from the man. "Oh, right. Forgot about these, didn't hurt that much." The magician said sheepishly despite Shinichi knowing just how deep his claws went, standing up and pressing a hand against his shoulder, aggravating the wounds ever so slightly and Shinichi almost lunged forward. 

Kaito quietly made his way to the door, ready to call his plan a failure until Shinichi's voice rang out, "You stole my nightmares last night..... Thank you," It was soft, barely audible but Kaito heard it and he was grinning for the entire day.  
  


——— _"There maybe something there that wasn't there before."_ ———

  
For the next few days, Kaito slept at Shinichi's room.

It became a routine, Kaito would sing a lullaby, fall asleep first and wake up in Shinichi's bed with the said owner of the bed already awake and prowling about but always made it a point to thank the magician and tell him that his nightmares were 'stolen' away.

That wasn't the only thing that changed, Kaito finally moved on from eating alone to eating with Shinichi! Like the current situation, Kaito was casually sipping his pumpkin soup while observing as Shinichi fumbled with his spoon, his long claws unable to pick up the dainty metal utensil. Kaito faintly heard colorful French cusses under his breath and the magician couldn't help but chuckle as he settled beside the prince, picking up Shinichi's spoon and scooping up some soup and holding it out for Shinichi. 

"Aah~." Kaito sang out, teasing the prince who begrudgingly ate the soup. The magician snickered as Shinichi refused a second bite and decided to go for a different tactic, eat like Shinichi! Kaito took his own soup bowl, maintaining eye contact with Shinichi and drank from it. His indigo eyes screaming 'Just eat like you always do, no need to feel conscious' and his heart did a little victory dance as Shinichi gave up and picked up his own bowl to drink. 

After breakfast, Shinichi led him to the library, claiming that he had something to show Kaito and Kaito happily let him lead him. They stopped in front of a music stand, that held a weird book that had no title and no words in it. "I always use this whenever I'm feeling down," Shinichi informed with a small fidget, gesturing to the empty book and Kaito looked at it with a confused expression. "Just touch it," Shinichi explained hurriedly, clawed hands flailing slightly in an embarrassed way.

Following his words, Kaito placed his hand gently on the empty page and felt the wind knocked out of him. 

His vision swam and blurred as his surroundings blurred and finally cleared and he found himself in the midst of a painfully familiar place.

"This...." Kaito breathed out, not trusting his own voice, "This is the Paris of my childhood." He whispered breathlessly, feeling a sense of familiarity overflow his senses at the familiar walls. Shinichi stood behind him, holding a grim expression as his gaze surveyed the area, as if regretting ever showing Kaito the book. "The book takes you to the place that you most desire," He informed in a soft mumble, watching as Kaito's eyes lit up with happiness at the familiarity of the place. 

"My father lived here, he showed me all of his tricks before he showed his fans!" Kaito exclaimed proudly, looking towards the direction of where his old toy box used to be, "This place is really easy to remember," Kaito mused out with a chuckle, his gaze traveling to his toy box, or at least where his toy box was.

What was left was broken down wood, surrounded by a black dusty substance. Taking in more of his surroundings, he found the walls charred and barely standing, the desk that always held his father's plans and blueprints was nothing but a pile of black dust and Kaito felt like the carpet was pulled from beneath him.

"A witch hunt," Shinichi mumbled out, eyes pinned to the discarded torches and pitchforks. Kaito could only laugh brokenly as everything finally clicked together. The reason why his mother sent him to such a boring provincial town, the reason why his mother invited Aoko and Saguru to Paris but never Kaito, the reason why his father suddenly disappeared. And he knew, that the Paris of his childhood was gone.

"Take me back," Kaito whispered, hands reaching out to caress the ash and soot on the ground but failed as his hands simply passed through. Shinichi complied and they were back in the library, Kaito promptly collapsed on a seat, falling into silence while Shinichi simply stood by his side, fidgeting as he prevented himself from reaching out to hug the man like how he did to Shinichi while he had nightmares. 

"Thank you for taking me there." Kaito spoke up after what seemed like eternity, standing up and pressing himself close to Shinichi in a tight embrace. The prince felt the slight tremble in the magician's body as he rested his head against Kaito's shoulder. "I didn't do anything," He mumbled against Kaito's shoulder. "I only brought you sadness," He followed with a bitter tone.

"You brought me closure, Shinichi." Kaito replied with a light laugh, tightening his already pretty tight hug before pulling back and Shinichi leaned in ever so closer. "You gave me a chance to understand my childhood and I'll always be thankful for that so turn those corners up or the happiness we've been collecting will spill!" The magician shot him a blinding smile and Shinichi felt something almost dreadful blossom in his heart. 

"Well look at that!" Yukiko whispered out with a dreamy sigh, wrangling Yuusaku by the neck as she watched from a distance. "We might be seeing the end of the tunnel dear!" She said, hugging her husband while Yuusaku feigned indifference but there was no mistake to the slight upturn in his cold metallic lips. Maybe they did have a chance.

Later that evening, Kaito was settling on his usual seat by Shinichi's bedside when the prince decided to speak, "You know, you always end up falling asleep while you sing to me so why not just lie down beside me? Saves us both the trouble and lessens the risks of me hurting you." And Kaito had to agree so he settled down beside Shinichi, pulling up the freshly replaced sheets up to his chin before he started to sing his usual lullaby. This time though, Shinichi didn't close his eyes, azure eyes were pinned on the magician's form and Kaito found himself leaning towards the prince as he sang his lullaby, 

_"Love pays no mind to desolation. It flows like a river through the soul."_

Kaito's eyes were half-lidded, as he leaned in closer. His voice grew gradually softer as he felt Shinichi's breath fanning his face, a little bit more and—

"No." Shinichi cried out, pushing Kaito away using his palms, careful not to use his claws. "I can't love you, I don't love you," He mumbled almost fearfully and Kaito knew what he was talking about. "I understand," Kaito stiffly agreed, watching as slight disappointment flittered through Shinichi's eyes before disappearing. "Goodnight," Shinichi hastily bade him, turning around and falling into silence. Kaito did the same but neither one got a wink of sleep that night. 

The next day was spent in silence, breakfast was void of jokes, Shinichi spent time in the library while Kaito tended to the roses in the garden. The magician regretted his actions dearly as it seemed to have created a large rift between the two, it was almost laughable how just a week ago he was just planning on cheering the prince up and now here he was practically in love with the prince and what was worse was that he didn't regret that he was in love. 

Kaito was in the middle of cutting some overgrown leaves from the roses when he heard howling from the distance and a very familiar British voice screaming in pain. Yukiko must have noticed it to as she peeked through the front doors of the castle, Kaito placed down his scissors and sprinted down the path, over the gates and towards the sound of the scream.

He found Saguru about to be devoured by wolves, Kaito shooed them away with simple fire tricks.

"Saguru!" Kaito called out, assessing the brit's current state. He had bite marks on his legs, claw marks on his arms and his head was oozing a hefty amount of blood, overall he looked like he was ready to die. The magician carried the taller male with much difficulty back to the castle where Yukiko waited for him by the gates, holding it open and ushering for the magician to take Saguru into the castle. 

"What in the world?" Saguru mumbled weakly as his maroon eyes hazily surveyed his surroundings, Kaito lugged his injured body over to the couch by the fireplace as Yuusaku came rushing towards him with a medical kit, Yukiko brought over a basin of warm water and a soft cloth. "I can't believe I'm gonna strip you," The magician lightly joked to which Saguru weakly glared at, "Shut up and help me," Saguru replied with a small nudge, causing his wounds to bleed even more. "Whoa there, calm down. Don't worsen your injuries!" Kaito chided, as he divested the Brit of his clothes and started tending to his wounds when Shinichi decided to exit the library and head towards the fireplace.

"I did not give you permission to invite others into this castle," The reptile growled out, coming closer to the knelt magician who was currently sewing up a rather deep claw mark on Saguru's arms, Kaito jumped and almost stabbed an artery with his needle when he heard Shinichi. "As much as I'd like to entertain you right now, I'm not leaving my childhood friend out there to die!" Kaito replied as steadily as possible as he threaded the needle through Saguru's bleeding skin, the said Brit stiffened upon eye contact with Shinichi and for once in his life, looked dumbfounded. 

"Kaito," He whispered almost fearfully, shifting and trembling slightly. Shinichi seemed to have taken a hint as he stomped back up to his room, "He's harmless, I swear." Kaito tried to convince Saguru but maroon eyes were pinned on Kaito's neck where the claw marks were still rather fresh and the bandages that were securely wrapped on his arms. "Oh really..." The blonde trailed off with a sharp inhale as Kaito finished the stitch and secured a knot at the end. He bandaged it and went to the next wound and Kaito could only praise Saguru for keeping a straight face as he threaded the needle through his skin.

A few hours later, Kaito finished treating all of the blonde's wounds and promptly collapsed on an armchair beside Saguru, wiping away beads of sweat that collected on his face. The two shared a moment of silence before the Brit piped up, "Is he keeping you hostage?" And Kaito had to give him an incredulous look, "What? No, I decided to stay on my own accord and besides, I've got nowhere else to go since Monsieur Nakamori hates my guts." The magician explained.

"Aoko's been really worried, you know." Saguru informed him with a dip to his chapped lips, and the magician did a double-take because he forgot about said childhood friend. "She's been fighting with the townsfolk and vying for your innocence and the people aren't really that happy with it." Saguru continued and a dark feeling bubbled in the magician's stomach, "Any further and she might be treated as a heretic, you have to come home Kaito. You need to clean up all these misunderstandings!" The blonde finished with a downright frown, squirming to sit up but Kaito prevented him. "Rest first, we'll leave when you wake up," The magician ordered, watching as the blonde's face instantly relaxed at his decision and maroon eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep. 

Kaito waited a few minutes just to make sure that Saguru really was asleep before making his way to Shinichi's bedroom.

"Hey," The magician greeted, coming closer to the figure hunched over the bed, "Sorry I snapped at you earlier, I was rather shaken up when I saw Saguru hurt." He replied with a sheepish scratch of the back of his head. 

"I don't care," Shinichi sniffed out, inching away from the magician with a disdainful look, "You have a life of your own that I don't know of. It's only right that there are people you treasure," The words came out bitter, as if Shinichi was trying hard to understand Kaito and was failing miserably.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Kaito blurted out with a wince, watching as Shinichi went rigid and his tail stopped moving, "I have to rescue my other childhood friend who's currently suffering because she's trying to save my reputation." He explained, not really lifting anyone's spirit as Shinichi's face turned into a blank state upon the mention of a female friend. 

"Then leave," Shinichi answered in a quiet voice, "You have the freedom to do as you wish and I can't stop you for that," Kaito felt a pang of pain at how small and quiet Shinichi's voice was, if he had the choice he would have scooped the prince up in a hug and comforted him. "Thank you." Was all Kaito could say as he patted the prince's shoulder before exiting the room and went back to the fireplace where Saguru laid at, seemingly awake. "These wounds are nothing, we can leave now." The blonde informed, standing up and sucking in a long inhale. "There's no stopping you is there?" Kaito asked out with a small chuckle, supporting the blonde by his side as they staggered out of the castle doors. 

"Dear!" Yukiko exclaimed in her fragile glory, holding a white horse by his reigns, "Ride him, he's our fastest horse." She offered with a warm (or at least, that's what Kaito picked up from her twitching facade) smile and Kaito resisted the urge to grovel at her feet because she was just so kind and Kaito didn't deserve such kindness, "I hope you make it safely." She bade him as Kaito jumped on the horse, with Saguru leaning on his back. Yukiko smacked the rear of the white horse, 'Phillip' and he was gone. 

Yukiko watched as the white horse and his passengers disappeared past the cloudy mist before retreating back inside and towards the master's bedroom where Shinichi sat at, unmoving. "Did you have to let him go?" Yukiko asked quietly, taking a seat beside the reptilian. 

"He wasn't mine to keep," Shinichi argued with a bite, clawed hands gripping onto pristine sheets. "He could have been if you had let him in." Yukiko whispered out before standing and exiting the room.

"I thought we had a chance." The lady whispered to her husband as she pressed herself closer in a gentle embrace, "We don't get to decide his life, only he can do that." Yuusaku sighed out, patting his wife's head with a rusty hand and pressing a soft kiss against the top of her head. "Let's just hope that this won't be the last time we see Monsieur Kuroba," He whispered with a soft smile, doing his best at silently comforting Yukiko. 

Meanwhile, with Kaito. Phillip ran faster than any horse he's ever rode and he found himself at the front of the entrance where he could already hear the angry shouts of townsfolk and one Aoko Nakamori, he quickly secured Saguru by a few crates before making his way to the town square where Aoko stood at the very center, shouting at the crowd.

"Lady Aoko, if you keep defending that witch we'll have to apprehend you!" A spry farmer exclaimed with a pitchfork, brandishing it close to the lady in a blue dress.

"He isn't a witch! Aoko's told you so many times already!" She fired back, batting away the pointy ends of the pitchfork. 

"Then where is he?! I bet he's the one killing our crops and making it snow for months!" A lady vendor shouted out, holding a bundle of dead crops.

"That's because it's the winter solstice, it happens yearly at roughly the same months!" Aoko kept fighting back, pushing away the pitchforks that were menacingly pointed at her. 

"You're lying!" The crowd chorused, shouting and screaming in rage. 

"People!" Kaito exclaimed, pushing through the crowd and standing beside Aoko, who looked very surprised and relieved to see the magician, "Your favorite magician has returned," He announced with a bow, ignoring the fact that Ginzo was inching closer with a torch. "Where have you been?" Aoko shrilly whispered out, the nearby crowd heard her and repeated her question in a far more demanding tone.

"Long story, really. I don't want to tell," Kaito said with a shrug but regretted his decision as the crowd lunged forward, screaming French cusses and a few others. "Okay, okay! I've been to a castle where this monster resides but don't get me wrong, he's a really nice monster and I chose to stay in my own accord and—" The magician rambled out, attempting to explain in the easiest way possible that he wasn't a warlock and that he was just helping a prince smile a little.

"So you do practice magic?! How else would you befriend a monster!" A teacher exclaimed and Kaito had to resist face palming. "No!" Kaito cried out but the townsfolk were adamant as they made their move to tie up the magician.

"Hold it right there!" Saguru shouted out with much difficulty as he leaned on a frost covered wall, ragged breaths and shaking limbs. "Kaito isn't lying, I can attest to most of it." He informed, staggering forward as Ginzo helped him and Kaito was grateful for such a caring friend. "But—"

"He's been placed under the enchantment of strong sorcerer who resides in the very castle he speaks of," Kaito's heart almost dropped as he watched the Brit lie through the skin of his teeth, "He's been placed under a spell that forces him to side with the monster, to love him and always take the monster's side. Kaito is innocent, it is the monster we have to purge!" 

Kaito loved his friends dearly and he knew he was loved in return. He knew that the other two would go as far as to lay their lives down for him and he'd do the same for them but Shinichi was different, he couldn't let Saguru do as he pleased even if it was for the magician's own good, so with a resolute decision the magician broke into loud cackles, catching the attention of everyone.

"Saguru, you are just so adorable!" The magician exclaimed with a manic laugh, a mad grin framing his sharp features, "You really think that I, of all people would fall under a spell?" He watched as the brit's eyes dulled with horror, knowing that Kaito was about to do. "I thought you were smart enough to realize things since we've been friends since we were babes but shame on you!" Kaito pointed an accusing finger towards the blonde, " _ **I**_ was the one who placed a spell on this town, _**I**_ loathe each and every individual in it and it is also _**I**_ who created a monstrous beast to wreck havoc upon this town!" Kaito fired a few crackers around to further increase his alibi, he watched as Ginzo's face lit with livid anger and how Aoko screamed at him to stop being silly.

"I am the Wicked White Sorcerer of the West and as long as I live this town will be under my clutches and the beast will destroy everyone under my command!" The magician made a show out of throwing harmless crackers around but barely put up a fight when the townspeople lunged at him, beating and stabbing with pitchforks. He vaguely saw Saguru and Aoko being pulled away by some mercenaries to somewhere safer before his vision faded into darkness, the last sight being Ginzo with a torch and a rope.  
  


——— _"He's flown so far beyond my reach but he's never out of sight."_ ———

  
The castle was quiet, _too_ quiet.

Everyone was expecting a loud, boisterous voice to holler out for breakfast and noisily stomp over to the master's bedroom to wake the prince up but it was quiet. 

Not even the sound of birds chirping in the morning could soothe the silence, and Shinichi knew that painfully well. It was just yesterday that Kaito was singing to him, eating with him and just generally being with him but now he was gone, as if he never existed before. 

Kaito's room (yes, the guest room was now named after the magician. When it happened, Shinichi didn't know) was still warm from use, leaving behind a phantom warmth of the magician that used to inhabit it and Shinichi had to lock it because he didn't need unnecessary heartache. 

To begin with, he shouldn't have heartache. True Love was proven many times to him that it didn't exist, as if Ran and Shiho weren't enough testament to that, Shinichi knew that he could never love another individual as unconditionally as his father does to his mother. But Kaito, Kaito made him want to believe in it one more time but the thought of failing to love the magician haunted him, the imagery of Kaito, in suspended animation just like the girls was far too painful for Shinichi to risk. So he had to let go, he knew he had to let go the moment he saw Kaito tending to an unknown man's wounds by the fireplace. 

Admittedly, the monster inside him had whispered to him, to take Kaito away from the injured man because he knew, that the blonde was someone precious to the magician and Shinichi wanted to be the only precious one to him and that was a terrible thought, but he had let the monster overtake him and he spouted out the same nonsense he said during the first days of meeting Kaito.

He watched him leave, on a pure white horse with the blonde secured on his back and Shinichi dutifully ignored the horrible feeling of loneliness that settled on his chest. He knew he wanted to chase after him, to kiss him and to tear down his own walls and just lay himself bare to Kaito but True Love wasn't real, it couldn't be and he didn't want to risk killing another innocent individual just because he believed in the sentiment called 'True Love' and so here he was, on the edge of the very tip-top of his tower, overlooking the snowy meadows and beyond that, the town. Surely, Kaito was somewhere there enjoying his time with the blonde brit and enacting his very own happily ever after now that Shinichi had practically pushed him away. He knew that Kaito would eventually forget about him, move on and live his life but—

_'It's not the same for me. He'll haunt me, calm me, torment me, move me and it's just pathetic.'_

Shinichi sat by the ledge, clawed hands gripping into the stone edging as he reminisced of the magician who would religiously tend to the garden below. He tried to ignore the memories, the shallow phantoms of a man who used to be so within reach but he couldn't shake it off, he couldn't just forget. How could someone forget a person as dazzling, as perfect as Kaito Kuroba? 

"I know he'll never leave me." He whispered as he heard faint footsteps of his mother approaching, "Even if he's far away, I know that I'll still remember him. I let him steal my melancholy heart but I can't bear to risk his life for such a selfish reason," the prince felt cold arms wrap around him, slender arms that were stiffening around the joint. Yukiko's arms were pale, fragile and very glass like. "I'm sorry," Shinichi whispered as his fingers traced his mother's glass arm, "This is all my fault and I can't even solve it." He didn't want to look at his mother's face because he knew that half of it was going rigid and ceramic. He knew he only had a till sunset today but he didn't know what to do, he knew his heart belonged to someone already but he didn't want to condemn the magician into an unknown future, heck he didn't even know if Kaito would have one if Shinichi tried to love him. 

"Not your fault, dear," Yukiko's voice was scratchy, as her vocal chords slowly died and morphed to porcelain, "We failed to guide you as parents," Her body was cold but her voice was filled with love and patience that Shinichi knew he didn't deserve, he went silent, vying for nonexistent breaths because he knew his mother couldn't breathe anymore as her lungs were glass. 

"I'm sorry." The prince stated as Yukiko wound her arms as tight as she could without breaking her fragile arms, "I'm so sorry..." His voice was soft, small and broken, feeling the weight of the world pressing against his shoulders harder than ever. 

The two stayed like that for a few eternities, with Yukiko rumbling out rather hums and tunes to the best of her glassy capabilities and Shinichi wallowing in a pit of regret and pain. He loved his family, the entire castle was his family but Kaito was different, Kaito was Kaito and he couldn't imagine trading the magician for something else, not even for the world. 

Loud bangs from below startled the prince, almost scratching Yukiko in the process. "Stay here," He ordered his mother before swiftly descending down the spiral stairs and making his way to the front entrance where a familiar blonde stood, heavily bandaged but standing, and a beautiful woman who looked eerily like Ran but more, unruly? The blonde was breathing deeply, as if he had ran all the way from town. He took two steps forward before he promptly collapsed onto his knees and Shinichi noticed the faint tremble in the blonde's form.

"Please save Kaito..." The blonde choked out with remorse, hands clenching his snow covered poncho and Shinichi was confused, wasn't the town safe? Why did he need to save Kaito? 

He heard the sound of squeaky metal behind him and found Yuusaku holding a cracked mirror in his unmoving fingers, rusted to forever remain an open palm. "Son," He rasped out, handing the mirror to him with much difficulty. 

"Show me Kaito," Shinichi whispered to the mirror, watching as the picture distorted and blurred before showing a distressful image that had the half-monster snarling. 

The magician's eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping but his body was tied with multiple ropes from top to bottom, he was tied to a large cross in the middle of the town's square with multiple haystacks and wooden objects lying at his feet. Kaito's head was sluggishly bleeding from a blunt trauma, his skin was littered with stab marks and scratches from obvious abuse and surrounding him were merry men and women who were gleefully preparing fire starters. 

"Save our Kaito please," This time it was the lady who spoke, quivering and soft. Shinichi tried to ignore the possessive noun that preceded the magician's name. 

"I messed up, I tried to save him, to protect him by directing the townsfolk to this castle but he sacrificed himself to save you." The blonde explained through gritted teeth, and Shinichi had to stop the impulse of wanting to throttle the blonde in front of him. 

"You did nothing wrong," The prince assured the man, placing a clawed hand on the brit's shoulder. "You simply acted out of love and care," he followed up mechanically, not believing a word that left his own mouth. "It's that stupid magician's fault," Shinichi informed with a grimace, taking a few steps back from the blonde to greet the lady with a curt nod, azure eyes displaying unhinged anger. "Rest here," He ordered the duo as he fetched his pure black cape whilst making his way out of the castle for the first time in years. 

"I have an idiot to save." The prince stated with an air of finality before he broke into a mad dash towards the direction of the town.  
  


——— _"Love lives on inside our hearts and always will."_ ———

  
Kaito didn't know how long it's been since he was hauled up into a gigantic cross and abused with whips, pitchforks and the general fist but he was fairly certain that his arms were broken, his legs were swollen from slightly infected wounds, his head felt like it was being pounded with a spiked mace and that he was going to die as soon as Ginzo gives the signal to light the fire.

And yet, he didn't mind it. He was suffering for a reason, a greater good and Kaito didn't mind if he suffered more. Every time he squirmed and the ropes dug down on an open wound he reminded himself that Shinichi was safe. Every time a person throws a tomato at his form he'll remind himself that Shinichi was eating and taking care of himself. Every time he hears the jeers, insults and curses directed at him he'll remind himself that they weren't directed at the prince and the magician would feel light, as if his body wasn't littered with injuries and his mind would be filled with memories of the days he spent with the prince and he knew, he didn't mind dying a thousand deaths if it meant that Shinichi would stay safe away from harm. 

He could faintly trace the sound of Ginzo's voice hollering to get more fire wood as the children sang merry songs of purging the town of evil and that the winter would end soon and the magician had to chuckle. If only they knew.

"As the sun sets, we shall purge this town of evil and malice!" Ginzo exclaimed, brandishing a torch as he looked out into the horizon where the was gradually dipping down. "May we prosper and thrive as today marks the death of the Wicked White Sorcerer of the West!" He hollered once more as the crowd responded with loud enthusiastic cries, almost like barbarians from how their eyes lit with livid craziness and misplaced happiness.

Ginzo stepped forward, standing in his full glory in front of the weakened magician who had the audacity to fire the crowd a cocky smirk. "I once thought that you would be the perfect groom for my daughter," He started with much spite, "But now that you've shown your true colors, all my suspicions are cleared and today I shall smite you." The man gave the magician one long heated glare before spitting on him with disgust and Kaito hissed as said spit landed on his face that was covered in dirt and cuts. 

"Long live France!" Ginzo shouted out as he brought up his torch, ready to light the thousands of firewood that littered around Kaito. "Long live France!" The crowd exclaimed back as the man retracted his arm to throw the torch forward but a loud, inhuman roar cut through the darkening sky. Kaito had to curse the gods for meeting such an indecisive man.

At the entrance of the town stood one Shinichi, fangs bared and claws ready to slash anyone who got in his path. His tail stood up, pointed and alert and through Kaito's hazy eyes he saw how different the man looked since the last time he saw the prince and realized that he didn't have much time left as a human as small black wings sprouted from his back and the scales seemed to have progressed more throughout his entire body, Shinichi's face was only 1/4 skin now and the rest were ebony scales, his horns were longer than before and he truly did look like a monster now but Kaito didn't care, he was too busy cussing at him for being in town.

"Let him go," Shinichi's voice rang out in a low rumble, sounding far deeper and far angrier than anything Kaito's ever heard. "It's the beast!" A few townsfolk screamed out fearfully, some charging forward and attempting to stab the prince but Shinichi was quick to break their weapons and slamming them against the walls with much force than needed. 

"Let. Him. Go." The prince repeated with a deadly tone, stalking forward and towards the town square. "Kill him!' Ginzo ordered, pointing towards the monster before turning to throw his torch just as Shinichi launched himself into the crowd. 

The fire was quick to spread, setting ablaze the thousands of wooden objects that surrounded Kaito and in less than a few seconds, the magician felt the flames licking at his body and he couldn't stop the scream that bubbled from his throat as the heat came in contact with his open wounds.

The prince must have heard his scream as his movements grew rougher and the snarls that he emitted grew louder, Shinichi fought in an unrefined way, thrashing and clawing at whoever attacked him as he fought to get closer to the burning man. He crossed paths with Ginzo who held a sword, ready to kill him but Shinichi was faster, he had his claws a mere inch away from Ginzo's neck before he could even swing his sword.

"Shinichi!" Kaito shouted out through the blinding pain, "Don't kill anyone!" He rasped out as the flames grew closer and closer, he vaguely registered the slight pause the prince did before he could end Ginzo's life and opted to bash him on the head, watching as Ginzo fell to the ground unconscious.

By now, Kaito was slowly slipping into unconsciousness as the pain grew too much to bear. It was so easy to fall into oblivion at that point and sleep was beckoning the magician, it wouldn't hurt to close his eyes and take a rest. He was just so sleepy....

"Kaito!" Shinichi called out as he jumped into the ravaging flames, claws ripping the rope that held Kaito hostage. He swiftly exited the growing fire and landing a few feet away from it, around him were unconscious and slightly injured people but they weren't his priority right now. "Kaito, wake up." The prince whispered with urgency, as the magician's head lolled to the side. Shinichi's sensitive ears were still able to pick up a faint heart beat from the man but he could hear it gradually lessening.

"Kaito please.." He whispered brokenly, cradling the magician in his arms feeling the warmth slowly seeping out of Kaito's body and he allowed himself to let out the faintest sob as the magician's breath stilled and his heart stopped beating. 

"I love you." He whispered, a second too late, as he finally let his walls crumble down. He pulled back to study the delicate features of the man who he knew he loved from the very first day. The man who had looked past his outward appearance and had tried to tear his walls down, the man who Shinichi knew was his true love. 

"I love you...." An attempt in vain, as Shinichi pressed the cold body close to him, bringing Kaito's limp head up and pressing a light salty kiss. 

There was no response.

Until the prince felt a searing pain shoot up his entire body, causing him to let go of the magician. He let out a low scream as he felt his nails shrinking, his tail burning and his horns crumbling. He felt his scales being burnt from his body and it took only an eternity for the pain to stop and Shinichi knew the curse was broken, by now every at the castle would be rejoicing but he was having none of it. 

Now when his true love laid limp in front of him, unmoving and lifeless and Shinichi decides that there was no difference between being a monster and being a human if it meant that Kaito wouldn't be by his side.

"I love you, I truly do." He whispered against the cold skin of the magician, "I loved you so much I couldn't bear to risk hurting you so I pushed you away. Even on the first night we met, you captivated me, you offered me something I never experienced with anyone else and I couldn't ruin you. I denied myself of love and it only ended up getting you killed." The newly returned prince choked on a sob, a lump on his throat preventing him from speaking.

"My stupid pride held me back and I ended up killing you, I'm so sorry, Kaito. I love you," He finished with a broken cry, clutching the magician close to him, trying to share his warmth with the freezing man. 

"Please say something back." Shinichi whispered in vain, begging the gods that Kaito would open his eyes and say that he loved him back but he knew it wasn't a fairy tale. He knew that the man wouldn't open his eyes and the prince allowed himself to cry to the heavens. 

He stayed like that for an eternity, clinging onto a lifeless body and crying until his throat went dry. He almost missed the fact that Ginzo had awoken and was now looming a few feet away, wavering between getting his pitchfork or to comfort the crying man.

Shinichi's cries were stopped by echoing footsteps and when he turned to look, he was faced with a man who haunted his dreams. The man who had cursed Shinichi into the current situation. He couldn't stop himself from letting out a soft snarl but the man was having none of it. 

"I see that you have defeated my curse," He spoke in a soft voice, kneeling down beside him and Shinichi turned away as if to protect Kaito's broken body from the man, "Congratulations but those might not be the words that you want right now." The sorcerer's gaze was pinned on the body of Kaito, "I am happy to know that you have learned to love with your heart and I will offer you a gift." The sorcerer stated as he gingerly stood up, took a knife and silt his own palm. 

_"A life for a life, I shall return to you what you truly love, Shinichi."_

A blinding light surged forward as the sorcerer bursted into Crimson flames before disappearing with the wind, and with no fanfare whatsoever Shinichi felt a slight stir in his arms and he couldn't stop himself from letting out a cry of relief. 

"What'd I miss?" A familiar voice, oh so familiar and dear rang out as a cheeky smile made its way onto the resurrected magician's face and Shinichi could only let out a laugh of disbelief.

"I love you, I love you, I love you." He chanted out as he pressed kisses against every (now warm) skin on the magician's face, enjoying the way Kaito flushed with warmth and Shinichi knew that this was what happily ever after was like.

"I love you too," Kaito responded smiling brighter than the sun.  
  


——— _"How does a moment last forever?"_ ———

  
The world was blindingly brighter when Shinichi returned to his castle, where a spry Yukiko and a nimble Yuusaku waited for him. Both as human as they ever been, the castle behind them was painted golden, bright and sunny the complete opposite of what it had previously been and Shinichi's chest felt warm with happiness as he clutched onto the slightly bruised hand of his love.

"Welcome home, you two." Yukiko sniffled out as she tackle-hugged the two, before noticing the injured form of the two and let go. "I knew you two were meant to be," She whispered warmly, expression showing many forms of love and care and Kaito positively beamed at her despite painful it was to move. 

"Let's get you two cleaned up!' She said with a hop and a skip, escorting the two inside where Saguru and Aoko waited at. 

"Kaito!" Aoko exclaimed, rushing to hug the magician but came to a skidding halt in front of him. She let out a sob as guilt washed over her, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help, I should have been stronger and I—" Kaito shushed her with a light embrace. "Idiot, you were so brave fighting against all of them on your own and I can't thank you enough," Kaito reassured, pressing a platonic kiss on the brunette's cheek (he didn't miss how Shinichi grimaced slightly in jealousy, how cute). Aoko nodded with a sniffle and returned the kiss with her own version of platonic affection, which was a bonk to the head. "Tough love," Shinichi stated out with a small snicker as he gently rubbed the back of Kaito's head, seemingly satisfied that the lady didn't return Kaito's weird show of platonic emotions and then the two went over to the blonde who remained frozen on his spot. From where Shinichi stood, he could feel the nervousness coming from the blonde.

Kaito was the first to make a move, stepping forward and collecting the blonde into a tight hug. "Not your fault," He whispered against Saguru's shoulder, "I decided to do it because I wanted to save Shinichi, you were just looking out for me." He said as he felt the faintest rumble in Saguru's chest and he knew that the blonde was crying, Saguru wrapped his arms around the magician gingerly and returned the affection, resting his head on top of Kaito's and the two stayed like that for a tad bit longer than what Shinichi preferred. Saguru pulled back to place a closed lip kiss on the magician's forehead before affectionately ruffling his hair and Kaito returned the gesture with a small shove of the blonde's shoulder and yet another platonic kiss to the cheek, Shinichi had to clear his throat because hello, that was his lover?

The next to greet them were people who the prince weren't expecting to see.

There stood one Ran and one Shiho, both looking as healthy as the last time he saw them. He was lost of words, he didn't know what to say to the two. So many apologies, so many regrets, so much words to say and he didn't know where to start.

"We were watching over you," Ran started with a soft smile, careening over to stand a few feet from Shinichi, Shiho followed in suit. "We wanted to tell you that it wasn't your fault and that we didn't mind, we were all foolish and played with love." Shiho stated with a ghost of a smile lingering on her face. "Although we do wish that we could have been your true love, we knew we weren't the one." Ran's purple eyes made their way to Kaito as she gave him a warming smile, mouthing the words 'Take care of him' before rejoining Shiho and giving the prince a light hug and Shinichi's shoulders felt lighter than ever. 

Later that night, when everyone has retired and the world was peaceful. Shinichi laid down on the bed of Kaito's room, watching as the magician vehemently tried to bandage himself with much difficulty. The rush of the day and everything that happened in it still keeping the prince on his toes. 

After a while, Kaito finally gave up and slunk towards Shinichi with a roll of bandage, sulking all the way. "Come here," The prince chuckled out, grabbing the roll and gingerly bandaging the magician. Feeling his soft pliant skin underneath his fingertips, Shinichi made quick work in bandaging Kaito as the sight of all the wounds and burns left a large amount of guilt in the prince's stomach. 

"You know," Shinichi started, "I knew I couldn't live without you, the moment you died in my arms." The mere memory of the lifeless body had Shinichi gripping onto his magician, as if to say to himself that yes, Kaito was alive and he wasn't going to disappear like a midsummer illusion. "The moment you died it felt like my entire world crumbled with you. I don't want to experience that ever again," He whispered against Kaito's neck, drawing him as close as possible without hurting him.

"I'm not leaving," Kaito reassured him with a soft hum, pressing light kisses against Shinichi's cheek. "I'm not dying either, you can't kill someone like me. I'm like a roach." He joked out but it didn't soothe Shinichi's worries because he knew that he had watched him die and the thought of watching the one you loved the most die in your arms was something one couldn't really move on from.

"Hey," Kaito caught the prince attention, placing a warm palm on the prince's cheek. "Why don't I steal those worries away?" He offered with a dazzling smile and Shinichi found himself smiling back.

"You already did, you stupid thief." Shinichi informed with a loving kiss pressed on the magician's lips and everything was just right and True Love, _**truly**_ did exist.  
  


——— _**"That's how a moment lasts forever, when our song lives on."**_ ———

  


**Author's Note:**

> Before I start my actual note, I would like to clarify that Nakamori Ginzo is nothing like how I portrayed him and he is the best adopted dad Kaito could get and that his behavior in my fic is brought by the simple-mindedness of the townsfolk as it is set in the old era where people are reluctant and hostile towards new things. 
> 
> With that cleared up, I certainly hope I'm not gonna get copyrighted because 30% of the contents of this fic is or is based off of the movie and I'm such a sucker for dramatic lines omg Celine Dion's 'How does a moment last forever?' Is stuck in mind head and the original version of 'Beauty and the Beast' is stuck on loop aaaaa
> 
> I sincerely hope you enjoyed this fic even though I literally killed off Kaito for a bit there but hey True Love conquers all~ <3 
> 
> Next up will be Shinichi's side of 'Until Winter Comes' and gods I'm nervous asdfghjkl 
> 
> Till next time! See you~!!


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